47,710,324 People Used Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in September

According to the Food and Nutrition Service ("FNS") of the United States Department of Agriculture ("USDA"), a total of 47,710,324 Americans used the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program ("SNAP") in September.

This 47,710,324 figure is an all-time record, up roughly 608,000 from the previous all-time record that was set in August.

A total of 22,973,698 households utilized the food stamp program in September, up from 22,684,463 in the previous month.

The total cost of the program to taxpayers in September was $6,407,024,211, which was up roughly $125 million from August.

The average benefit per person in September was $134.29, while the average benefit per household was $278.89.

Let's compare the numbers from October 2008 (which was the height of the financial meltdown) to the numbers from September of this year: